Selanne Can’t Save Streak, Ducks

One streak ended at 11 games, but another reached two games and showed just how thin the Mighty Ducks’ margin for error can be.

Teemu Selanne did not score a goal for the first time since Oct. 21, a displeasing enough development for the Mighty Ducks. But their inability to secure a third-period lead for the second consecutive game was far worse.

Even Selanne could not save them from themselves in a 4-3 loss Wednesday to the Montreal Canadiens before 17,174 at the Pond.

Valeri Bure’s innocent-looking shot from a difficult angle somehow found its way past Duck goalie Guy Hebert in the final minute of overtime, making the Canadiens winners for the sixth consecutive game.

The Ducks walked away wondering how and why they lost leads of 2-1 and 3-2 in the final 10 minutes of regulation.

Monday, they let leads of 3-1 and 4-2 slip away en route to a 6-4 loss to the San Jose Sharks.

What gives?

“You’ve got to keep your focus on the game, on what the score is, on what the time is, on what the situation is,” Coach Pierre Page said. “It was a complete lack of focus. Montreal has the best power play in the league and the last thing you want to do is give them a power play and that’s what we did.”

Monday, they wasted Selanne’s second three-goal game of the season. Wednesday, it was Joe Sacco’s penalty shot.

Sacco scored his first goal of the season by converting the first penalty shot in the Ducks’ five-season history, slipping a shot through Montreal goaltender Jocelyn Thibault’s legs for a 2-1 lead at 11:30 of the third period.

The Canadiens tied it 1:08 later on Martin Rucinsky’s power-play goal.

Ruslan Salei gave the Ducks a 3-2 lead with a power-play goal at the 17:06 mark, whistling a slap shot past Thibault from the right faceoff circle.

The Canadiens tied it 1:17 later on Vladimir Malakhov’s power-play goal.

Bure then won it in overtime with 52.7 seconds left.

Selanne was more of a target than an offensive factor, which left it up to others to supply the offense for the Ducks.

Kevin Todd, playing only his second game since Oct. 28, Sacco and Salei responded.

Sacco’s penalty-shot goal, after Malakhov hooked him to the ice on a short-handed breakaway attempt, energized the Ducks briefly.

Selanne never had much room to work his offensive magic Wednesday, but his best contribution was a pre-penalty shot pep talk to Sacco.

“Teemu said, ‘Think five hole,”’ Sacco said. “I saw a little opening and I shot it.”

Sacco did as Selanne suggested, racing right at Thibault and squeezing a low shot between his pads for a 2-1 Duck lead.

“We had some other guys come to the forefront tonight,” Page said. “Kevin Todd gave us life.”

But Selanne was high-sticked in the face, hooked, slugged along the boards and defended as someone with 17 goals in the past 11 games should be. In the end, Wednesday proved to be a long day and night.

“He didn’t have the same zip, but they were all over him,” Page said. “They deserved 10 penalties. But they’re not going to call all of them, they’re only going to call some of them.”

There was another reason too.

Selanne’s wake-up call came at 4 a.m., when his pregnant wife told him it was time to get to the hospital.

At 2:09 p.m., he and his wife, Sirpa, welcomed their second baby boy into the world at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange.

By 7:30, he was on the Pond ice, attempting to pull within one game of the NHL’s longest goal-scoring streak in the last 75 years.

But Charlie Simmer’s 13-game streak, set in 1979-80, is safe for now because of the Canadiens’ standout play against Selanne. Selanne’s streak was the league’s longest since 1992-93. The league record is 16, set by Ottawa’s Punch Broadbent in 1921-22.

“I left all my energy at the hospital today,” Selanne said. “I didn’t have the energy to fight through all of [the hooking and holding]. But it was a great day. I think my wife was the first star today.”

Selanne failed to click on perhaps his best scoring chance of the game with the Ducks on the power play in the second period. Center Steve Rucchin whipped a pass through the crease from the right wing to Selanne at the left goal post.

But the pass had too much pace and Selanne fanned on the shot and a 1-1 tie stood until the third period.